Electron-spotting could explain warm superconductors

By Colin Barras

HOW can some materials allow electricity to flow through them without resistance? The answer may lie in a phenomenon best known from LCD televisions.

Materials that become superconductors at temperatures close to absolute zero are well understood. But the mechanisms at work inside “high-temperature” superconductors – materials that superconduct at temperatures above 30 kelvin (or -243 °C) – remain inscrutable.

Solving that mystery could help us find a way to exploit the benefits of superconductivity at practicable temperatures. Being able to move electric current around without losing its energy has the potential to make electricity grids more efficient, computers …

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